Spray coating machine



Jan. 19, 1932. H. 1 cHAPlN L84L431 SPRAY COATING MACHINE Filed Sept. 27, 1928 Fig. 3.

Fig.

Fig. 2,

Patented Jan. 19,' 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT oli-FICE HERBERT L. CHAPIN, OF SWYAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO `EII'NI'.I.1I'11) SHOE i MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY SPRAY coA'rING MACHINE Application tiled September 27, 1928. Serial No. 308,796.

granted July 29, 1919, on application of Frederick M. Furber, for coating shoe parts with blacking or other stains.

Machines of this character, in which the liquid is sucked u from an open receptacle 1) through an uprig 1t pipe and ejected in a downwardly directed spray, have found wide application in shoe factories for the coating of the margins ofshoe soles, and in particular they have been found desirable for applying a marginal stripe of blacking to the upper or flesh surface of a sole which is to he embodied in a McKay shoe prior to its incorporation in the shoe.y For this purpose such machines have been provided with means for controllmg the width of the marginal stripe and for regulating the fineness and vdlume of the spray.

ln an' improved machine of the type referred to above, a gaging means in the form of a sleevesurrounding ythe upright pipe has been provided, as shown in Letters Patent of the United States No.. 1,376,524, granted May 3, 1921, on application of F. M. Furber, and this sleeve is so mounted that 'it may be adjusted toward and away from the path of .the spray thereby to Vary the width of the marginal stripe appliedfto the sole. A guard plate has also been employed, positioned lat the other side of the spray from this gaging 1neans by means of which the distance of the work from the spraying nozzle'could be controlled and drops of liquid directedtoward the inner margin of the stripe deflected so as thereby to define the margin.

One object of the inventionis to provide a machine of the type referred to having an improved spray guard, by means of which the width of the marginal stripe of liquid applied tothe work may he still more accurately'controlled and the inner edge of the stripe moresharply defined, further to facilitate applying a narrow stripe of coating.

In-ac'cordance with features of the inven- 'tion the illustrated machine comprises a spray guard which is constructed and arranged so that not only may the stripe be sharply defined but the width of the mar-y ginal stripe may be adjustably determined, spattering of the liquid prevented and excess liquid carried of to one side. In the illustrated arrangement, a spray guard partially surrounding a downwardly directed spray has an inclined upper surface cut away to form a U-shaped opening with the base of said opening provided with a sharpened edge intercepting art of the spray and arranged to define t e width of the marginal stripe of blacking. The legsrof the U are arranged to drain the interce ted blacking to one side away from the wor and the lipstandino' sides of the guard are arranged to preventbspattering. v

When a guard plate is interposed in the path of the spray of liquid, it is found that there is some tendency for the liquid to collect on the under side of the plate and to drip from the plate on the work. In accordance with another feature of this invention, suchv dripping on the work is prevented by arranging the under surface of the guard adjacent to the edge which is interposed in the path of the spray so that that surface is either inclined toward the intercepting edge, or is at least at right angles to the path of the spray, "t being illustrated. as horizontal when the spray is projected downwardly, as shown. By this arrangement any tendency for 'the collection of drops upon the under surface of the guard is avoided.

Still another object of the invention is to provide improved mechanism by means of which the quantity of spray and its character, as a fine or a coarse spray, may be more readily controlled.

' One highly satisfactory arrangement for controlling the spray is illustrated in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,571,939

granted Feb. 9, 1926, upon the application o F. M. Furber. In that mechanism, a casin communicating with the supply of air an the supply of liquid is provided with an upright passage which is filled `oy an adjustable hollow valve stem having a spray nozzle.A The jet opening is controlled by means of a removable and adjustable nipple. In acl cordance with other features of the present invention, an improved control mechanism is lprovided which, as illustrated, includes. a

rotatable valve stem itting the longitudinal passage just mentioned and having therein an inte ral atomizing chamber the outlet of .which 1s controlled by a removable nipple having a jet opening. By'providing a va- Moreover, the illustrated machine is organized to permit thc valve stem to be removed axially but only when it is in such position that the air passage is closed. f

These and other features of the invention are described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the spraying mechanism including the spray guard showing a piece of work presented in operative position,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe same parts withthe upper portion of the spraying apparatus and the guard shown in vertical section,

Fig 3 is a perspective view of the valve stem removed from the casing, .Y

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section looking upward on the. line IV-IV of Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line V-VofFig.2,and Y 'Y Fig. 6 shows in 'enlarged section other forms of nipples having different sizes and types of jet openings.

The sprayingapparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is mounted at the outer end'of an arm 10 having a conduit 12'tlrough which air under pressure is supplied during the operation of the machine. The outer end of the arm 10 is provided with a vertical passage 14 for the reception of an upright portion 16 of a casing lnllhis upright portion of the casing 18 is drilledrverticallyto receive a rotatable hollow valve stem 2O and has a lateral opening 22 furthe admission of air `to a passage in the hollow valve stem which will be later described. T'he casing 18 is also provided with al depending pipe 24 which dips in liquid, such as blacking 26, in a receptacle 28 and has an internal vertical passage 25. Cl'amped on the lower end of the pipe 24 is a strainer 30. Above this strainer is a hollow support 32 split at the upper end and provided'vith a clamp bolt 34 for the reception of, and for the holding in,

position of, a sleeve gage 36. This sleeve gage 36 is cutaway at 37 to avoid interference with the valve stem 20 and may be moved radially of the pipe 24, toward and away from the path of the Spray delivered from the valve stem 20. The edge of a piece of work, such as a sole 38, is rested against the gage as shown in Figs.- 1 and 2 thus determining the position of the work with respect to the path of the spray.

The upright portion 16 of the casing 18 is fastened in position at the outer end of the arm 10 by means of a clamp nut 40 and suitable gaskets 42 and 44 to prevent leakage are interposed between the arm 10 and the casing. The clamp nut 40 also serves to hold in position a .washer-like portion of a locking device 46 having a headed stud 48 which cooperates (Figs. l and 2) with a ange 50 formed on the under side of the handle 52 of the valve lstem 20. The construction of the iange 50 toward the stud 48, the air supply is Wide open. It will be noted from Figs. 2 and 3 that the iange'50 is provided with a stop 56, which, by contact with the stud 48, after rotation clockwise, denotes that the valve stem is in such a position that the supply of blacking l is completely cut off..

- (The valve stern 20 has a longitudinal passage 60 communicating at its upper end with a recess 62 which hasan enlarged portion 64 (Fig. 5) so that the passage 60 is in communication with the air inlet 22 in any posi- `tion of adjustment of the valve stem in which the blackmg supply is available. The passage 60 terminates at its lower end in an atomizing chamber 66 formed within the valve stem itself,y and the lower end of the passage 60 emerges from a nozzle 68- of conical form which projects down into the atomizing chamber below the level of a lateral liquid inlet 70. This opening communicates with a horizontal passage 72 which opens into the vertical passage 25 in the upright pipe 24.

When the valve stem is turned to such a position that the arrow points diametrically away from the stud 48, then the air and blacking suppliesY will both, be shut ofi and the valve stem may be removed, if desired, without danger.

The lower end of the atomizing chamber 66 is closed by means of a nipple 74, which is designed to produce a fine spray. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, this nipple 74 is counterbored at its upper and lower sides to form a centralpartition having a jet opening 76 of small size. The character of the spray may be controlled by changing the nipple 74 to a nipple 78, as shown in Fig. 6, which is counterbored only at lits upper side and provided with a this precaution,

` ing of through the groove 88 jet opening 80 having a longer assage but of the same size as the opening 76 thereby to emit a medium spray. Still another forni of nipple 82 having a larger jet opening 84 with a still longer passage may be employed when it is desired to get a coarse spray, the control of the character of the spray being determined b'y the relation of the 'et opening to the end of the nozzle -68 and Jby the size of 4the jet opening.

In the atomizin vacuum is formed y the air blast emitted from the nozzle so that atmospheric pressure upon the liquid 26 in the reservoir 28 forces it up through the pipe 24 into said atomizing chamber. Since the liquid enters at a point opposite the side of the nozzle 68 and above the air opening in said nozzle, it is broken up into a i'ine mist before it is driven out through the jet opening 76.

Having provided the valve stem 20 with a nipple of the desired kind to get a fine or a coarse spray, as may he desired, which may be readily done by removing the valve stein 20, then the operator has only to turn the handle 52 thereby to control -the quantity of liquid driven out. lt will be seen that the illustrated construction is simple and provides for an accurate and quick adjustment of the quantity of spray emitted withut requiring extensive experience.

ln order that the leakage of air may be reduced to a minimum, each individual valve stem 20 is preferably ground to tit the bore of the corresponding casing 18, but even with there is some dan er of the leakage of air around the outside o the valve stem, and if this leakage occurs in sufficient volume, .it vwill destroy the vacuum in the atomizing chamber 66 and prevent the liftliqnid from the receptacle. ln order to avoid this danger, the valve stem *20 is provided between the recess 62 and the nozzle 68 `with a bleeder groove 86 communicating with the atmosphere by means of a vertical groove 88. rlhus any air leakage around the valve stein 20 will be collected in the groove 86 and allowed to leak into the atmosphere Without entering the 72 or the atomizing horizontal air passage chamber 66.

ln order that the operator may have full control of the width of the marginal stripe 90 of blacking applied around the upper surface of the sole 38 and so that he may malte it quite narrow if desired, the machine is provided with aspray guard 92, the edge of ywhich is interposed in the path of the spray to intercept a'portion thereof. This guard is arranged in a manner to be later described for lateral adjustment into and out of the path ot the spray, and is provided with a U-shaped i recess terminating at the bottom of the U in a sharp edge 94 produced by relatively inclined surfaces. The upper or inner sur chamber 66 a partial face 96 of the guard is arrangedat an acute stantially at right angles to the path of the spray, or in the arrangement herein shown, in a substantiallyy horizontal position. By placing this sharpened edge at the desired position in the spray, the operator can control accurately tlie width of the marginal stripe` inasmuch as the gpard prevents spreading of the spray at t at side of the spray path. By reason of the relation ofthe under surface 98 of the guard to the path of the spray there is no tendency for the drops of liquid to collect on said surface, which might otherwise form and be carried off onto the work. Spattering of the operator or the work Yby deflected particles of spray striking the inclined upper surface 96 is prevented by the surrounding front llange 100 and the side flanges 102. 'lhesc side flanges are slotted at 104 so that the guard may be adj ustably secured to the casing 18 by screws 106. The horizont-al disposition of, the slots 104 allows the guard to be adjusted toward and away from the vertical path of the spray to vary the width of the margina] stripe ot blacking. Any liquid accumulatin r on the upper surface 96 will be 'at 112 and the adjacent support 32 is cut at 114 in inclined relation to the thus avoiding danger of spattering by reason of the interception of particles of the spray, as would be the case if these surfaces were horizontal.

ln using the machine, the operator selects the nozzle 7 4, 7 8 or 82, depending on whether he desire a tine, medium or coarse spray, and adjusts the gage sleeve 36 and the spray guard-92 to get the desired width of coating upon the mar in of the work 28. Having turned the va ve stem 20 .by means of the handle 52 to connect the passage 60 with the air in the opening 22 so as to direct a blast of air through the nozzle 68 into the a omizing chamber 66, and thence out through the jet opening 76, this current of air will set up a partial vacuum in the atomizing chamber 66 which will cause liquid to flow through the upright passage 25 and the horizontal passage 72 into the liquid opening 70 of the atomizing chamber. Adjustment of the position of the handle 52 will enable the operator to set the machine to deliver the desired quantity of liquid against the work by varying the relation of the opening 70 to away path of the spray,

i to define the` width of -the work.

the passa e 72. This will not vary the air pressure, owever, because of the enlarged portion 64 of the air inlet opening.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure/bywLetters Patent of the United States is:

l. In aspray coating machine, a spraying apparatus an a spray guard interposed 1n the path of the spray to intercept and to remove a portion thereof, said spraying apparatus and guard beiner relatively ad]us`table the spray applied to `sharpened edge produced by relatively inclined surfaces, the inner of which lies at an acute angle to the direction of the spray to intercept and to capture a portion thereof ing lateral portions partially surrou v'and the outer of which lies substantially at right angles to the path of the spray.

In a spray coating machine, a spraying apparatus arranged to project a spray downwardly and a spray guard having a spray deilecting surface partially interposed in the path of the spray to intercept a portion thereof thereby to limit the amount of spray aplicd to the work, and having a sharpl. de-I ned edge portion, the under surface ofy said uard being substantially horizontal thereyto prevent the collection of liquid upon said under surface.

5. In a spray coating machine, a sprayingy apparatus and a spray guard partially interposed in the path of the s'pray to cut oill a portionthereof, said guard having u standnding the spray to intercept spatters of blacking from the upper surface of the guard and 4thereby to protect the operator and the work.

6. In a spray coating machine, a spraying apparatus and a spray guard partially interl posed in the path of the spray, said guard being provided with an upper surface inclined with respect to the path of the spray and partially surrounding the spray, one portion of said guard surface intercepting a portion of the spray from being applied to the work thereby to define the margin of the coating applied to the work. y

7. In a spray coating machine, a spraying apparatus and a spray guard partially interposed in the path of the spray, said guard being provided with an upper surface, one portion of which is interposed in the path .of

' posed in the path of t e spray, sai

formerd with lateral drains to conduct blacking accumulated on the upper surface of the guardtoa point outside the path of the spray.

In a spray coating machine, a s raying apparatus and a spray uard partial dy' interpartially surrounding the spray and and arranged to pro]ect a. jet of blacking,

gage means disposed at one side of the path of the spray jet against which the edge of the sole may be rested as it is guided through guardy having \anupper surface, one portion of which is" the spray, and a guard positioned oppositey said gaging means and aving an opening formed therein the edge portion of which I is interposed in the path of the spray to intercept a portion of the spray, thereby to determine the width of the margin of blaclring applied to the sole.

'10. In a machinel for applying a stripe of blacking to the margin of one surface of a shoe sole, a spraying apparatus constructed and arranged to project a jet of blacking in I a downward direction, gage means disposed at one side of the ath of the sprayjet against which the e ce of the sole may be 1 rested as it is guided tlxrough the spray, and a guard disposed opposite said gaging means and having a sharpened edge portion interposed in the path of the spray and formed by an inclined upper spray defiecting surface and a substantially horizontal lower surface.

11. In a machine for applying a stripe of blacking to the margin of one surface of a shoe sole, a spraying apparatus lconstructed and arranged to project a jet of blacking in a downward direction, gage means disposed at one side of the path of the spray jet `against which the edge of the sole' may be, rested as it is guided through the spray, and

a guard disposed opposite said gaging means and having a sharpened edge portion interposed in the path of the spray and formed i y an inclined upper surface and a substantially horizontal lower surface, said inclined upper surface having lateral drains constructed and arranged to lead away accumulations of blacking on said surface to a point beyond the edge of the sole being coated.

12. In a machine for applying a stripe of blacking to the margin of one surface of a shoe sole, a spraying apparatus constructed and arranged to project a jet of blacking, and a guard having a U-shaped opening the base ofwhich is interposed in the path of of the Ithe spray, thereby to determine the width ofthe margin of the blacking applied to the sole, said guard being arranged withits legs surrounding said jet of blacking and constructed and arran red to drain off the accumulation of blacklng on the upper surface uard.

13. n a machine for applying a stripe of blacking to the margin of one surface of -a shoe sole, a spraying apparatus constructed and arranged to project a jet of blackin gage means disposed at one side of the pat of the spray jet against which the edge of the sole may be rested as it is guided through the spray, said aging means comprising a cylindrical mein er disposed alongside the path of the spray, and a guard having a U- shaped opening the base of which is intercylindrical posed in the'path of the spray, thereby to determine the. width of the margin of.the blacking aplied to the sole, said guard being arran e with its legs surrounding said cylindrica gaging means and constructed and arranged to drain off the accumulation ot blacking on the up er surface of the guard.

14. In a machine or applying a stripe of blacking to the margin of one surface of a shoe sole, a sprayingapparatus constructed and Iarranged to project a. jet vof blacking, gage means disposed at one side of the path of the spray jet against which the edge of the solemay be rested as. itis guided past the spray, said gaging means comprising a member disposed alongside the path of 'the spray,` and a guardY adjustably secured to said spraying apparatus and having a sharpened edgeportion interposed a predetermined distance in the path of the sprayto determine the width of the margin of blacking applied to the shoe sole.

15. In a spraying apparatus, a casing having a. longitudinal passage provided with a lateral air inlet and with a lateral liquid inilet, and a rotatable valve stem in said passage having a spray nozzle communicating with said air inlet in a plurality of positions of adjustment 01:' saidv stem and an internal atomizing chamber having a lateral opening therein disposed opposite said liquid inlet, and means for rotating said valve stem in said casing to control the amount of liquid admitted to said passage by varying the area of the liquid inlet while keeping constant the air inlet and the area of the internal atomizing chamber.

16. In a spraying apparatus, a casing having a longitudinal passage provided with a lateral air inlet and with a lateral liquid inlet, a rotatable valve stem in said casing having an internal atomizing chamber, a longitudinal passage terminating in a spray nozzle and connecting the atomizing chamber with the air inlet in a plurality of positions of adjustment of the stem, and a liquid opening in said chamber disposed opposite the fitting said longitudinaljpassage and having.

a ,spray nozzle, a removable nipple carr by said valve stem and having a jet opening, a liquid inlet in cooperative relation to said spray nozzle, eating with the air inlet, whereby said valve stem 1s constructed and arranged to control the quantity of liquid admitted to the spray nozzle by rotation of the valve stem without changing the relative kpositions of the spray nozzle and the jet opening.

18. In a spraying apparatus, a casing having a longitudinal passage provided with a lateral air inlet and with a lateral liquid inlet, a hollow valve stem filling said passage and having lateral openin s communicating with said air'inlet and sai liquid inlet, said valve stem having an internal atomizing chamber in which there is provided a spray nozzleadjacent to the liquid opening and a terminal 'et opening lcommunicating with saidcham er, and means for varying the position of said valve stem to determine the area of the liquid opening, thereby' controlling the quantit -of liquid admitted to the atomizing cham er without varying the area of the atomizing chamber or the air pressure admitted to said chamber.

19. In a spraying apparatus, a casing hav- I and a lateral opening communiliquid opening and said air opening, said valve stem also having a bleeder .passage surrounding the stem between the air opening and the liquid opening and communicating with the atmosphere, thereby to prevent leakage of air around said stem from entering the atomizing chamber.

20. In a spraying apparatus, a casing having a longitudinal passage lateral air inlet and with a ateral liquid inlet, a hollow valve stem having a. spray nozzleV and arranged to communlcate with said inlets', means `for varying the position of the valve stem with respect to said inlets, and means for preventing removal of the valve stem when in a position to admit air tothe nozzle.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name tothis specification.

HERBERT L. CHAPIN.

rovided with a 

